THE SECRET REASON GEORGE RUSSELL MADE FEWER MISTAKES AFTER LEWIS HAMILTON LEFT MERCEDES
George Russell claims 2025 was his most solid F1 season as he stepped up to lead Mercedes following Hamilton's exit.
George Russell thinks 2025 was his best F1 season ever, and he hinted that Lewis Hamilton kind of helped make it happen.
Russell said that when he was teammates with Hamilton, the seven-time champ, he really wanted to test his own limits, but it bit him in the butt. Now that Hamilton's with Ferrari and Russell is the main guy at Mercedes, he's dialled it back a bit, and he thinks it's helped his results.
After racing for Williams for three seasons, Russell got the call-up to Mercedes for 2022. In the next three years, he beat Hamilton in points twice, in 2022 and 2024.
With Hamilton moving to Ferrari, Russell became the team leader for 2025, with teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli as his teammate.
Russell did well, grabbing wins in Canada and Singapore as part of a consistently good season.
Media outlets asked Russell if he thought 2025 was his best F1 season so far.
"Yeah, I think so," he said.
For sure, my most solid in terms of performance, my head was in the right place, and I made the fewest mistakes. So yeah, overall, it's been great.”
Someone pointed out that he seemed to make the fewest big mistakes in 2025, and they asked him why he thought that was.
He said that Hamilton's leaving Mercedes made him go back to his old self after trying to push himself to the limit against the seven-time champ.
"I think that's just how I've always been, even before F1, and it helped me win championships," Russell said about making fewer mistakes.
But when I was with Lewis, I just felt like I wanted to push myself to see if I had more in me, to go past the limit and see what would happen.
Because in '23, I wasn't happy just fighting for podiums. I wanted to push harder to try and get a standout result, instead of just settling for a podium or fourth place.
That kind of came back to bite me. So I just chilled out a bit this year, and that probably helped me get better results.
Russell and Antonelli both signed new deals to stay at Mercedes for 2026, when the new car and engine rules are coming.
Antonelli bounced back from a bad slump in the middle of the season and kept Mercedes' trust. Russell thinks the Italian will improve even more next season.
It's always interesting to have a new teammate, just to see how they do things within the team, Russell said.
And he's a young kid with a lot of energy, which is really cool to see. And he's got a really good vibe with the people in the team, which is great.
But in our sport, it always comes down to what you do on the track.
But he's definitely shown he's got some high speed. So I'm sure he'll keep getting better next year, and you'll probably see those good moments more often.
GEORGE RUSSELL ADMITS ANTONELLI IS "EXCEPTIONALLY QUICK" BUT REFUSES TO CONCEDE TITLE
Kimi Antonelli secured his 3rd straight F1 win in Miami, leaving George Russell 43 seconds behind and 20 points down in the title race. (130 chars)
George Russell isn’t flinching. He’s not ready to let go of the story, even as Kimi Antonelli keeps grabbing headlines. Antonelli’s been tearing it up this season – three straight wins, all from pole – and it’s got people talking. Miami was rough for Russell; he finished fourth, over 43 seconds behind Antonelli. That gap isn’t just big; it’s glaring, and it’s putting some real heat on their rivalry at Mercedes.
Russell isn’t pretending things are fine, but he’s not throwing in the towel either. He gets what Antonelli’s doing and gives props where they’re deserved. “He’s a fantastic driver, and he’s been fast since day one,” Russell said. “You don’t win all those championships as a kid if you’re not quick.” He means it, but he’s also drawing a boundary. Russell still believes in himself, and he’s not giving up on the championship.
“I’ve still got confidence in myself, and I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he said with a little smile. “It’s just a tricky patch, but we’re only four races in; there’s a lot more to come. We’ll sort things out over the next few weeks.”
That “tricky patch” doesn’t just mean some tough luck; it includes a 20-point deficit and a teammate who won’t stop rewriting history. Antonelli’s winning streak has changed the vibe at Mercedes, at least for now.
Russell knows all about momentum and how it doesn’t always stick around. “He’s got momentum right now; he’s flying,” Russell admitted. “But I’ve won championships myself, and I know momentum swings back and forth all year.” He actually doesn’t seem bothered by the points gap. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it,” he said.
It’s a calm answer from a guy who’s been here before, leaning on experience while Antonelli rides his hot streak. Russell keeps saying 'big picture, patience, not panic'.
“I just want to get back on top of the podium,” he said. “I had the pace for the first three races, but this weekend I was nowhere close. It could have gone very differently these last few weeks, and this weekend could’ve just been a blip. But some races in Japan and China didn’t go my way. That’s how F1 goes sometimes.”
Still, confidence doesn’t erase a 20-point gap, not if Antonelli keeps cruising. If Antonelli keeps piling up wins, Russell’s going to have to fight more than just the stopwatch. Losing to your teammate over and over starts to mess with your head. Russell began the season as the guy to beat, but the longer this keeps up, the tougher it gets to grab hold of the story again.
He’s holding firm, for now. But F1 doesn’t wait for anyone. What does Russell call “just a tricky run”? Well, if momentum doesn’t swing his way soon, it could become a whole lot more than that.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES FRONT ROW IN MIAMI AS RED BULL UPGRADES DELIVER IMMEDIATE RESULTS
Charles Leclerc admitted surprise at Red Bull's pace after Max Verstappen finished P2, just 0.166s behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc expected Red Bull to bounce back, but he couldn’t help admiring Max Verstappen’s raw speed at the Miami Grand Prix.
Red Bull rolled into Miami with a big upgrade, looking to recover after a rough start to the season. Verstappen, a four-time world champ, landed his Red Bull in second during qualifying. He was only 0.166 seconds behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, nearly snatching pole. After qualifying, Verstappen said he finally feels like he’s back in control of his car.
Leclerc was impressed by the turnaround. “Honestly, it’s not shocking to see Kimi up there. Mercedes has been the quickest team this year, and Kimi’s been amazing these last few races,” Leclerc said. “But Max and Red Bull are coming back like this? That’s a bit more surprising. The upgrades clearly worked, and you can’t forget how strong that team really is. You never expect them to just sit back and accept a slow start.”
He added, “We figured they’d come back swinging, but to see them right back on the front row after struggling at the start… that’s something else. It’s pretty remarkable. Still, my job’s the same: beat those guys. That’s where my head’s at right now.”
Leclerc had to settle for third on the grid for Sunday’s race. Ferrari looked strong early in qualifying, but their hopes faded by Q3.
He talked about the changing conditions, but didn’t think that’s what hurt Ferrari. “The wind definitely played a part, but track temperature wasn’t all that different, so I don’t think that’s the reason,” he said. “Maybe the track changed, and we didn’t see it coming, or maybe pushing harder today in qualifying just made our car’s weak spots stand out more.”
Leclerc admitted he hadn’t dug into the numbers yet; he’d just gotten out of the car. “We’ll have to check the details to figure out exactly where we lost time.”
